OCEAN COUNTY – Everyone knows that traffic is getting worse, but what is the solution?
The North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority is crafting a 25-year strategy on improving various forms of transportation. It might be hard to imagine what 2050 will look like, but assuming we don’t have flying cars yet, they want to know how to improve roads, bus service, and more.
The long-range plan is called Connecting Communities. The survey can be found at njtpa.org/connecting. It only takes a few minutes and you can enter into a raffle for a $25 gift card at the end.
The questions ask what town you live and work in, but don’t ask your name or address. They want to know how often you use public transportation, and what it would take for you to use it more. They address people who need wheelchairs or other personal mobility devices. The questionnaire is in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Hindi, Chinese or Korean.
A Let’s Talk Transportation event was held on January 28.
You might also spot NJTPA officials conducting outreach at events throughout the region this spring.
The NJTPA region includes 13 counties in northern and central New Jersey (Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren), and is home to 7 million people, with the population expected to hit 7.8 million in 2050.
In order for the region to be eligible for federal funding, the NJTPA has to adopt a long-range transportation plan every four years.
“Connecting Communities will help us set a vision for the future of our region’s transportation network and prioritize regionally significant projects,” said Director of the Ocean County Board of Commissioners John P. Kelly, Chair of the NJTPA Board of Trustees. “It’s important that residents from the region, including our residents here in Ocean County, share their thoughts and ideas with us, so that this plan meets the needs of the communities we serve.”
The NJTPA has approved funding for a number of projects locally, sources said, including a study underway in Lakewood to explore ways to mitigate congestion on Kennedy Boulevard (County Route 6) and County Line Road (County Route 526). The NJTPA also funded a study that explored options for replacing or rehabilitating the Chadwick Beach Island Bridge over Barnegat Bay in Toms River. That study recommended a bridge replacement, and the NJTPA is providing federal funding for design, right-of-way acquisition and construction of a new bridge.
The NJTPA has one representative from the 13 counties it serves and the cities of Newark and Jersey City. The Board also includes a Governor’s Representative, the Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the Executive Director of NJ Transit, the Deputy Executive Director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and a Citizen’s Representative appointed by the Governor.
